Henry a



UNITED STATES PATENT @rrron.

HENRY A. COUSINS, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

ART OF MANUFACTURINGIINLAID WORK FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 488,540, dated December27, 1892. Application filed October 8, 1891. Renewed May 24, 1892.Serial No. 434,173. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY A. CoUsINs, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in theArt of Manufacturing Inlaid Work for Decorative Purposes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of inlaid designs and picturesfor domestic and ecclesiastical decorations, and has for its objects,first, to simplify the method of procedure whereby greater cheapness inthe cost of production is attained; second, to provide for the easyduplication of any particular design or picture, and third, to insuredurability and stability of the design of picture under exposure toextremes of heat and humidity. To accomplish these results and to secureother advantages, my invention consists in a method of procedure, all aswill here inafter more fully appear.

To produce ordinary panels for domestic and ecclesiastical decorations,slabs or other articles of a great variety, as the inventioncontemplates, I first produce by drawing or transferring the chosendesign or picture upon a piece of hard wood or other suitable material,of about three sixteenths of an inch in thickness or thereabout. I thencut through the outlines of the design or picture, preferably by the useof a roundwire fret saw or other appropriate tool, producing therebywhat I term a templet for the work. The templet thus produced is nextlaid flat upon a level surface, preferably of glass, and then oiled overthe upper or exposed side, in order to render that side non-adherent.Into the saw cuts I then press edgewise bands of metal, such, forinstance, as brass, copper, aluminium, zinc, or other equivalentmaterial, of about three eighths of an inch in width. These bands ofmetal will, when pressed through the wood or templet and down upon thelevel surface below, extend about half their width above the templet.Any thoroughlyimpervious cement is next to be spread completely overall, that is, over the templet and over the projecting outline bands ofmetal. For this cement, I prefer to use peroxide of manganese one part,pulverized marble or asbestus, one and one half parts, and oxide of zincone part, which are all thoroughly mixed into a stiff paste withsilicate of potash; but other well known strong and permanent cementswill answer and may be used in this part of the method. After this bodycement has become thoroughly hardened, Idetach the wood or templet,leaving the metal strips or bands firmly embedded in the cement andprojecting from the surface thereof about half their widths, formingbetween them cells or cavities for the reception of the colors orcolored materials necessary to carry out or complete the. design orpicture. These cells or cavities are next filled with a finerpreparation of the cement above described, or with an equivalentsubstitute therefor, the same being colored as required. When this is sofilled in and perfectly hardened, I cut down and polish the surfacethereof after the usual manner of polishing marble.

The templet is capable of use many times over, so that duplicates of anydesign or pic ture may be accurately and duced.

For a number of similar pieces of work the reduction of cost by myimproved method will be readily appreciated. No part of the methodrequires skilled labor, and there is no part of it but may be accuratelyand very speedily accomplished.

The slab or other article produced consists wholly of cement filling andthe inlaid metal bands or strips, and when the work is properlyperformed the article will not be affected by any usual exposure toheat, and not at all by moisture.

By the particular method above explained a flat slab is produced, butarticles of various curvatures may be manufactured in like manner, solong as the templet will admit of the removal of the bands therefrom.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States is,

The herein described method of producing inlaid work, the sameconsisting in filling quickly repro- In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

HENRY A. OOUSINS.

Witnesses:

ROBT. W. WATERBURY, WM. H. APPLETON.

